LibraryGuides: Film Arts: Get Started

Outstanding Reference Sites

AFI Catalog of Feature Films: American Film Institute
Documents the first century of American film from its origin in 1893. Summaries, lists of contemporary sources, and information about the production. The AFI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion, scholarship, and preservation of American cinema.
Columbia Film Language Glossary
This Columbia University resource explains film terminology, with definitions, pictures, and film clips. The illustrative clips have commentary by members of the Columbia Film Department.
Women Film Pioneers Project
A Columbia University site centering on the role of women in film during the silent era.
Free Film Studies Resources for Academic Libraries
This site, from University of Oregon librarian Elizabeth Peters, brings together a wealth of free, high-quality resources for research on cinema.

Here are some reference books you may find useful

Cinema Studies: the Key Concepts by Susan Hayward
ISBN: 9780415538138

Publication Date: 2013

The fourth edition of this standard reference.
Movies in American History [3 Volumes] by Philip C. DiMare (Editor)
ISBN: 9781598842968

Publication Date: 2011
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film, Vol. 1
ISBN: 0028657918

Publication Date: 2006

Articles on a wide range of subjects and genres.
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film, vol.2 by Barry Keith Grant
ISBN: 9780028657912

Publication Date: 2006
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film, Vol. 3 by Barry Keith Grant
ISBN: 9780028657912

Publication Date: 2006
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film, vol. 4 by Barry Keith Grant
ISBN: 9780028657912

Publication Date: 2006
The Routledge Companion to Film History by William Guynn (Editor)
ISBN: 9780415776561

Publication Date: 2010
The Hutchinson Pocket Dictionary of Cinema
ISBN: 9781423711261

Publication Date: 2005
Magill's Survey of Cinema, English Language Films, First Series by Frank N. Magill (Editor)
Call Number: REF 791.4375 M27

ISBN: 0893562254

Publication Date: 1980

Summarizes and appraises over 500 English-language films.
Magill's Survey of Cinema, English Language Films, Second Series by Frank N. Magill (Editor)
Call Number: REF 791.4375 M27, 1981

ISBN: 0893562300

Publication Date: 1981

Summarizes and appraises over 500 English-language films not covered in the first Magill series.
Magill's Survey of Cinema, Foreign Language Films by Frank N. Magill (Editor)
Call Number: REF 791.4375 M275

ISBN: 0893562432

Publication Date: 1985

An eight-volume set summarizing and appraising hundreds of foreign-language films.

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